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Arrest in 'Baby Hope' case brings closure to 2 NYC detectives 22 years after girl's body found

Associated Press
Published | Updated
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    Conrado Juarez, cousin and confessed killer of 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo, nicknamed Baby Hope, waits to be arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in New York. During an interrogation early Saturday, Juarez admitted sexually assaulting and smothering her before disposing her body. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (The Associated Press)

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    Former NYPD detective Jerry Giorgio speaks to the media during a news conference at One Police Plaza after the police commissioner announced that after an investigation that lasted more than two decades they had arrested the killer of a then unidentified child who was nicknamed Baby Hope, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in New York. During an interrogation early Saturday, the 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo's cousin, Conrado Juarez, had admitted sexually assaulting and smothering her, Kelly said. Giorgio, who had the case from 1991 until his retirement over the summer, said he remained confident the case could be solved. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) (The Associated Press)

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    NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly speaks to the media during a news conference at One Police Plaza to announce that after an investigation that lasted more than two decades they had arrested the killer of a then unidentified child who was nicknamed Baby Hope, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2013, in New York. During an interrogation early Saturday, the 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo's cousin, Conrado Juarez, had admitted sexually assaulting and smothering her, Kelly said.(AP Photo/John Minchillo) (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK – The arrest in one of New York City's most notorious cold cases was an especially relieving moment for two hardened investigators.

Jerry Giorgio and Joseph Reznick spent more than two decades trying to identify the girl they nicknamed "Baby Hope." The tiny girl's malnourished body was found stuffed in a picnic cooler along a Manhattan highway in 1991.

A tip led police to 52-year-old Bronx resident Conrado Juarez, who was arrested and charged with felony murder late Saturday. He has pleaded not guilty.

The detectives worked tirelessly on the case, even burying the child's body and engraving her tombstone with "Baby Hope."

She has been identified as 4-year-old Anjelica Castillo. Police say Juarez is a cousin of the girl's father.

The officers say Juarez's arrest has brought them closure.